Become Your Own "Master of Architecture"

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK--(Marketwire - Aug. 12, 2011) - Rochester Institute of Technology has received approval from the New York State Department of Education to offer a Master of Architecture program. A collaboration between RIT's Golisano Institute for Sustainability and the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, the Master of Architecture curriculum focuses on the areas of sustainability and urbanism, including integrated practice such as energy efficiency. RIT administrators and faculty worked with local architects from The American Institute of Architects' Rochester chapter to develop this very unique Master of Architecture program.

"This degree is a natural extension of the university's international reputation in design, engineering and sustainability," says Bill Destler, RIT president. "When the Rochester chapter of The American Institute of Architects and several of its architects approached me about developing an architecture degree, I knew it would be a perfect fit with RIT's educational mission."

"The program [Master of Architecture] is application-oriented rather than theory-oriented," says Frank Cost, interim dean of the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences and a "Master of Architecture" program developer. "The world needs architects that can solve real-world sustainability and energy efficient problems. With RIT's proven track record in the areas of engineering, design and sustainability, graduates of this master's of architecture will be effective right out of the gate."

Master of Architecture Program Defined

The Master of Architecture program is founded upon the principle that architecture programs can no longer afford to teach anything other than sustainable architecture. In addition to courses in industrial ecology, sustainable science and sustainable buildings, traditional courses in design, theory and even history will be taught through the lens of sustainability. Students of the Master of Architecture program will also have opportunities to collaborate with research labs and academic programs in pollution prevention, sustainable engineering, urban and community studies and public policy.

"The design and construction of buildings has a tremendous environmental impact, and architects working today are now required to incorporate a host of sustainability parameters in their designs, including overall energy efficiency, waste generation and material use," says Nabil Nasr, director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability and one of the "Master of Architecture" program developers. "RIT's new master of architecture will provide the necessary training and education in sustainable concepts, while also helping to advance new processes and innovations in the areas of sustainable design and construction."

The Master of Architecture program will launch in the fall with initial enrollment expected to be around 20 students. Students with a bachelor's degree in an area other than architecture are eligible to apply to the Master of Architecture program. RIT also offers programs in Carbon Neutral Design, Disaster Response and a MBA program.

To learn more about or Master of Architecture program and the many other programs we offer, visit http://grad.rit.edu/ today.